Chapter 226: Frustration is What Makes a Man! (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: Frustration is What Makes a Man! (6)
[Spinner, the Villain Who Terrorized the World, Falls in Japan]
Masami smiled as she watched the breaking news.
What on earth had they been doing to get defeated by a mere B-rank party instead of killing them?
Her insides were boiling, but she couldn't show her true feelings in a room full of Japanese politicians.
Her aide, checking the article, caught her eye and quickly lowered her gaze to the floor.
[New Human Alliance, a Threat to Citizen Safety, Wiped Out in Japan]
[American A-rank Party Silver Blood Annihilated, But Heroes Wipe Out Villains with Indomitable Spirit]
Looking at the headlines, it seemed as if Japan had led the entire operation, but in reality, not a single Japanese party had been involved.
It was a surprise operation carried out by the Korean Support Headquarters without notifying the Association or the government, and Japan had claimed they were spread too thin when the request for support was initially made.
Masami had intentionally sent the heroes elsewhere, but then the Chinese hero Hwa-ryeon had suddenly dropped out of the sky.
Why would China, which was busy enough handling its own jurisdiction, go all the way there?
The media used phrases like "captured in Japan" to make it seem like Japan had handled it, but the truth was that China and Korea had done all the work.
They hadn't even managed to take out Black Unicorn, and they had essentially handed over all the achievements to another country. Masami’s rage only grew.
However, after maintaining her smile and conversing with the celebrating politicians, she finally got into her car.
The aide sitting next to her remained silent, walking on eggshells. The previously calm Masami grit her teeth and hurled the documents she was holding at the aide.
"How the hell are you handling things?!"
It was Spinner and Victoria who had failed, but the innocent aide caught in the middle took the brunt of the abuse.
The aide apologized in a frantic voice, scrambling to gather the papers scattered across the car floor.
Looking down at the aide hurriedly moving her hands with a hunched back, Masami let out a ragged groan, as if struggling to contain her resentment.
"That girl should have died..."
Even if they couldn't kill Black Unicorn, Satomi at the very least should have died. Masami’s clenched fists trembled as she watched all her plans go up in smoke.
To seize control of the political world, she needed to remove the obstacle that was Satomi and occupy the vacuum her disappearance would leave.
The royal family did not participate in politics, but Satomi’s influence—stemming from her family, her bloodline, and her status as a hero—was immense.
The fact that Satomi herself didn't even care about that influence made Masami hate her even more for wasting it.
If Masami had that power, she could use it so much more effectively.
Jealousy and envy dominated Masami’s mind at the thought of Satomi acting all noble just because she had the right bloodline.
Masami was not a member of the New Human Alliance.
However, Masami, whose philosophy was that one must be willing to shake hands with the devil for the sake of power, had maintained a cooperative relationship with the Alliance.
But what was this?
The dungeon explosion had turned Black Unicorn, and especially Satomi, into heroes of the nation, and the request to eliminate Satomi had ended in failure.
Instead, Black Unicorn, having been active on all fronts, became a respected party in Japan, and Satomi’s influence within it only grew.
"Useless pieces of shit... and they talk about ruling the world."
When she openly cursed the Alliance, the driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror before focusing back on the road.
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, the aide also watched Masami’s reaction before speaking quietly.
"Um... there was a message from the Alliance..."
"Why are you only telling me that now?!"
Masami snapped at the aide with an intensity that suggested she would have thrown something else if she had anything left in her hands.
"What did those retards say?"
"They said... they are pulling out of Japan."
"......Those goddamn low-class thugs!! They ruin everything and then just wash their hands of it?! Those uneducated bastards have no sense of duty!!"
As all the plans she had built until now crumbled, Masami couldn't contain her rage and let out a scream.
The aide ducked her head, shoulders hunched, as the car filled with a never-ending stream of furious profanity.
After a moment, Masami, catching her breath and calming down slightly, began to coldly look for a way out.
She had pushed the plans too hard, and more and more people were becoming suspicious of her.
Until now, she had the Alliance behind her, so she could use them to smooth things over, but now even the Alliance was gone.
Those morons had ruined everything and vanished, and Masami needed a way to resolve the suspicions mounting against her.
I can do this. Look how far I've climbed to get here.
Masami considered herself a gambler.
She believed her cold judgment, her patience to wait for the right moment, and her ability to strike relentlessly once an opportunity arose set her apart from ordinary people.
Yes, she was the only one fit to rule Japan.
Filled with conceit, her mind raced to process the immediate problems.
"Contact Councilor Usami and tell him to make time. Councilor Keiko too. As for the eyesore Sakuragi family, leak the scandals we have on them."
Masami quickly sought a way to survive in the complex web of politics.
"And take care of that bitch Atsuko from the Association."
Masami knew that Atsuko, an Association staff member, had been digging into her background.
She intended to clean up everything—from big-shot politicians down to a mere staff member like Atsuko—without leaving a single gap.
"Also, Square Garden keeps trying to poke around behind my back. It seems like one of their employees is acting alone, so investigate that girl and find a way to stop her."
The aide, who was quickly jotting down her words in a notebook, looked up cautiously.
"But how..."
"Do I have to explain every little thing? Dammit, it's because I have a bitch like you as an aide that things ended up like this!"
As Masami flared up, the aide’s face paled. Despite her visible tension, she continued.
"The Alliance has pulled out... and we don't have the personnel for this kind of work..."
"Sigh... how long has it been since you became my aide?"
"Four years and... five months."
"Listen carefully. The Alliance isn't the only one who can do dirty work behind the scenes. The world is full of filthy women like that. Just go to the back alleys of Kabukicho, and you'll find plenty of people who'll do that kind of job for a few tens of thousand yen."
"I-is that so..."
When she had become the aide, Masami and the New Human Alliance had already joined forces, so all the dirty work had been outsourced to the Alliance until now.
Looking at the aide who seemed more stupid than naive, Masami sighed.
To think she had kept someone like this around.
No matter how generous a person she was, she had made a foolish mistake.
A person with rotten roots will never bloom, no matter how much you nurture them.
Masami, who had kept her around only because she was easy to use but now considered herself "merciful" for doing so, frowned as she looked out the window.
"Are we on the right road?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Masami spoke in an irritated voice at the sight of the unfamiliar, secluded road, but the driver answered nonchalantly.
Unlike the stupid aide, the driver had worked for her for nearly ten years without a single mistake. Masami looked at him for a moment before deciding she didn't have the luxury to worry about trivial things and went back to planning.
The luxury sedan carrying her continued toward increasingly desolate areas. By the time Masami noticed something was wrong, the car was already heading into an old warehouse.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Ms. Masami. Do you know what it means when the Alliance says they're pulling out of Japan?"
Despite Masami’s fiery glare, the driver adjusted the rearview mirror to meet her eyes and smiled softly.
The driver’s smiling eyes, the only part of his face visible, were chilling.
"The Alliance you insulted isn't such a pushover. You really need to develop a better eye for the world, Ms. Masami."
"......How dare you... are you betraying me?! Do you think you can survive after betraying a member of the Japanese House of Councilors?!"
"Whether I survive or not... isn't that something you should worry about for yourself first?"
The driver chuckled, parked the car in the middle of the warehouse, and stepped out.
As he left, figures began to emerge from the dark shadows, slowly approaching the car.
As about a dozen people closed in from all sides, Masami’s face, previously flushed with rage, turned deathly pale, and her body began to shake.
The poor aide burst into tears, screaming for her life, but the approaching figures remained expressionless.
A guest arrived from Korea.
It seems I get a visitor at least once a week.
Among the heroes staying at the inn, I’m probably the only one who gets this many visitors.
Still, most of them were people I knew or people who needed something, but this time it was a complete stranger.
A woman boasting a light, natural brown tan—not from a tanning bed—sat politely on her knees, looking at me.
Indian? Hispanic?
An exotic beauty with few distinct racial features other than her skin tone, she was wearing a kimono.
I’d seen this kind of mismatched vibe somewhere before.
"I am Vanessa, the disciple of Custom."
Ah... Michelle.
She had a hobby of buying traditional clothing whenever she went to a foreign country.
The image of Michelle coming to Square Garden every day wearing nothing but hanbok immediately came to mind, and it all made sense.
But you didn't have to inherit that hobby just because you're her disciple.
Perhaps finding a foreigner in a kimono curious, even Yoko, who was excellent at hospitality, stole a glance at her while serving tea.
The way Vanessa held the teacup with both hands and drank was so much like a local that it felt even more awkward.
Vanessa took a sip with her eyes slightly closed as if savoring the tea, then set the cup down and glared at me.
Why all of a sudden?
Startled by her dissatisfied gaze, I just stared back until Vanessa spoke quietly.
"Just when are you planning to return to Korea?"
"Uh... wouldn't it be after the Dungeon Impact is resolved?"
"And when will that be?"
"It'll take at least a month, even at the earliest."
At my answer, Vanessa let out a small sigh and reached out her hand toward me.
"May I see Astra?"
Vanessa was the weaponry creator Michelle had sent to manufacture and maintain my firearms.
She said she came of her own volition, but why is she taking her frustration out on me?
As soon as I handed her Astra, Vanessa skillfully disassembled it, laid the parts on the table, and frowned.
"You've been treating it quite roughly."
Well—I can't argue with that.
I did my best to clean it, but I’ve been handling it pretty roughly lately while fighting villains and dealing with the dungeon explosion.
I even used the gun to block attacks.
"This is a weapon made by my master, so please don't treat it so poorly."
Vanessa opened a large rectangular case she had brought and began maintaining Astra right then and there.
Whoa—is this free?
Since it has the premium of being made by Michelle and there aren't many weapon creators who handle guns, the repair costs are usually quite high. If this is a free service, I’m all for it.
While she continued to grumble about taking care of the firearm, Vanessa’s hands never stopped moving.
I don't know much about weapon creation, but even to a layman, her skill was incredible.
She isn't Michelle’s disciple for nothing.
After reassembling the parts and restoring Astra to its original form, Vanessa’s eyes sparkled as she looked the gun over.
You're a hardcore gun nut too, aren't you?
There really seem to be a lot of women in this world who love guns.
After examining the firearm for a long time with an ecstatic look, Vanessa noticed my gaze, cleared her throat, and handed Astra back to me.
"Bring Astra to me often from now on. Maintenance is the lifeblood of a firearm."
If she’s doing it for free, I’m thankful, but the cost of materials isn't cheap either, so I’d feel bad doing that.
Vanessa even checked the shotgun Michelle had given me and got angry, saying the barrel was slightly bent.
Yeah, sorry. I used it to block Victoria’s punch.
It was actually fun to watch Vanessa as she nagged while fixing it perfectly.
Once everything was repaired, Vanessa looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"It seems you're fond of using that sniper rifle made by Poltsmith, but I cannot acknowledge it."
Why are you burning with a sense of rivalry toward someone else's gun company?
I’m on good terms with them. They give me a lot of money.
"You said it would take a month, right? I will have a sniper rifle finished by the time you return to Korea. I'll show you that Poltsmith can't even be compared to a gun made by Master Custom and me."
"Um, if you just make it however you want..."
"I am not like Master Custom; I cannot make something that fits perfectly the moment I see the user. Instead, I will draw out the maximum specs according to Hero Jeong Yeon-woo’s requirements."
She spoke with confidence, but that wasn't the point—the price was the problem.
I don't have any money left.
It’s already tight making Rahiya’s Elixir; don't try to force a sale on me.
When I explained my situation, Vanessa’s expression turned gloomy.
She was Custom’s disciple, not Custom herself. No matter how talented she was, she was just a weapon creator still in the middle of her own growth, much like me.
"Then... how about installments?"
This woman doesn't know how to give up.
It wasn't so much for the money; she seemed genuinely excited to try making the gun.
Well, since I’m the only hero who uses guns, she must have been anxious since she came all the way to Korea only to find me stuck in Japan.
I thought about it for a moment and then nodded.
"Okay. If you can meet my requirements, installments are fine."
"Really?"
Poltsmith’s sniper rifle is good, but it’s so big it’s more like a naval gun than a sniper rifle.
If there’s a gun with good power that’s easy to carry, it’ll be very useful in dungeons.
After a long conversation where I described the gun I wanted, Vanessa’s eyes sparkled as she jumped to her feet.
"Understood. You'll be delighted when you see my sniper rifle when you return to Korea. I'll head back first."
You're leaving already? Has it even been an hour since you arrived in Japan?
Vanessa said her goodbyes and left the inn, scurrying away in her kimono.
Her passion is incredible.
Feeling impressed, I also resolved to wrap up the Dungeon Impact quickly.
If those villain bastards hadn't interfered, I would have reached B-7 by now.
It was a great opportunity to level up, but because of the constant incidents, Black Unicorn’s progress had been a bit slow.
The Alliance is a problem, but I don't know if they'll show up again now that they've been beaten and security has been tightened.
They are such strange people, though.
Anyway, I should train hard and clear the dungeons so I can head back to Korea.